Kwara Smart City Project: 23 Communities Reject Acquisition Of Farmlands
No fewer than 23 communities in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State have rejected plan by the state government to acquire their lands for the Smart City project.
The communities, under the aegis of Akanbi Wards 1 and 2, had claimed that they received a letter dated March 1st this year notifying them of the state government's intention to revoke/acquire the land for public use.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Fufu, headquarters of the Ilorin South Local Government Council, the Chairman of Akanbi Ward 1 and 2, Azeez Omolola, said: “The people of the 23 villages at home and abroad are expressing and registering our bitter feeling, sadness and deep sorrow over plan by the state government to acquire/revoke our land being used for farming for the establishment of Ilorin Smart City project when hunger is ravaging the people.”
Mr Omolola lamented that the planned revocation/acquisition of their land would mean sacking the people from their farmlands, thereby throwing them into acute and perpetual hunger.
He appealed to the state government for the immediate suspension of all plans to forcefully revoke/acquire their land for private use under the guise of public interest, urging the constitution of a panel of inquiry to look into the circumstances which had led to that decision that completely left them out on a matter that borders on their lives and livelihoods.
Besides, the spokesperson for the Ward stressed the need for the panel of inquiry to also examine all alternative ways to avoid destruction and grabbing of their communities' ancestral land, forests and farmlands.
He further counselled the state government to “halt and reverse the implementation of the policy and follow that by inviting all stakeholders in the communities for a meeting; constituting a special committee to look into the matter raised by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the notification letter as regards the issue of public interest.
“Recognise and allow our rights as indigenous people as enacted in national and international laws to be respected and preserved.”
Omolola urged the state government to “carry out a thorough and transparent review of the adverse ecological, socio-cultural, economic, financial and reputational impacts of the proposed Smart City before it precipitates a man-made disaster for our communities and the state at large.”
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Innocent Okoye Towobola Abdulrahman Toyin Suleiman Yahya Alapansapa Amoyo Alimi Abdulrazaq Ajayi Okasanmi Sobi Hill Afeyin-Olukuta Amuda Musbau Muyideen Ajani Bello 3MTT Baaziki Sulaiman Offa Kamoru Kadiri Abubakar Kawu Baraje Ibraheem Abdullateef Niyi Osundare General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport Abubakar Baba Sulaiman Yetunde Balogun Sam Okaula Issa Oloruntogun Ubandoma Of Ilorin Maja Okin High School Hussein Olokooba Danladi Fola Consultant Suleiman Idris Baruten Ojo Fadumila Babatunde Idiagbon Dan Iya Of Ilorin Kamaldeen Kehinde Yahaya Dumoye Aisha Buhari Ibikunle Ogunleye Gbenga Adebayo Jelili Yusuf Bamikole Omishore Senior Staff Union Of Colleges Of Education Ali Ahmad Kishira Gbadeyan Gbadura Yomi Suleiman Alege Kuranga Sobi Transition Implementation Committee Okin Biscuits Ahmad Belgore Lanre Issa-Onilu Pius Abioje Chief Imam Of Lafiagi Oba Abu Share/Tsaragi Plat Technologies Limited Iqra Books Dauda Adesola Aminu Adisa Logun Al-Hikmah University AbdulFatai Adeniyi Dan-Kazeem Lotus Bank Bola Olukoju Federal Road Maintenance Agency Abiodun Musa Aibinu Amos Justus Sayo Issa Manzuma Abraysports FC Akorede Turaki Sheikh Ridhwanullah Taiwo Joseph Kwara Primary Health Care Development Agency Oba Abdulkadir La\'aro Oloye Saka Onimago Senate President Valsolar Consortium

